The Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (“NBC”), makers of Coca Cola soft drinks, has unveiled a fresh programme aimed at harnessing the latent potential of youths.

Tagged “Youths Empowered,” the NBC said the programme was a life-changing opportunity for Nigerian youths in the age bracket of 18 to 30, to nurture, grow and showcase their vital life, business skills through training, mentorship and access to an array of contents that would help them stand out in their chosen fields of endeavour.

While unveiling the project in Lagos on Thursday, the Managing Director, NBC, George Polymenakos, said that the launch of the youth empowerment programme was another way of giving back to the society as a successful business concern in the country.

He added that the company had made huge investments in various youth development projects in the country, a testimony to the fact that the NBC was ready to invest more in the Nigerian economy.

He said, “We have made various investments in youth development in the country and we are determined to invest more. We are worried by the level of unemployment, poverty and other vices amongst the Nigerian youths.

“The NBC will continue to invest in them to take them out of these vices and make them contribute their quota in the development of Nigeria.”

Explaining the rationale behind the project, the Director, Legal/Corporate Affairs, NBC, Shade Morgan, said the current unemployment situation in Nigeria, especially among the youth population, informed the initiative from the NBC.

She said, “Statistics show that 64 per cent of the Nigerian population are 24 years and below (youths) and one out of this percentage is unemployed and this is unacceptable,” adding that this was why the NBC wanted to change the statistics through the new empowerment programme with a target of over 10,000 youths to be empowered between now and 2020.

She explained that the entrepreneurial skills of the youths would be tapped through various measures embedded in the programme.

The programme is organising a 3-day workshop for 1,500 youths in 3 states and reaching a further 8,500 via its Digital Hub providing online training. The goal of the workshop is to empower the youth with skills needed to succeed in life. Apart from the various trainings, selected participants will intern in various organisations.

Youth Empowered Nigeria is a programme designed to support young Nigerian graduates and undergraduates to build life skills, business skills and long-lasting networks to transition to meaningful employment or to start a business. The goal is to empower them with the skills needed to succeed in the workplace and business environment. Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt will host the live workshops in 2017.